BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – West Virginia is set to receive more than $3.8 million in an unclaimed money settlement.
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, along with a bipartisan coalition of 30 states, announced that they have reached a settlement in a case against the state of Delaware involving unclaimed property and MoneyGram transfers.
In 2016, Morrisey joined the multistate coalition in filing suit in the U.S. Supreme Court to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars that rightfully belong to West Virginia and other states. The money came from uncashed money orders sent through MoneyGram that was wrongfully given to Delaware, officials said.
In 2023, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the funds should be returned to the states where the uncashed money orders or similar products were purchased.
Under the terms of the settlement, Delaware will transfer more than $102 million back to the coalition of states. Approximately $89 million deposited by MoneyGram into an account while the litigation was ongoing will be distributed, as well, along with interest, officials said.
West Virginia is set to receive roughly $3,823,000 plus interest.
The other states along with West Virginia in the coalition include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
“This is a great victory for West Virginia and our partner states — the money rightfully belongs to West Virginians,” Morrisey said. “Every dollar unlawfully held elsewhere represents another dollar of accrued interest that our state can utilize to improve its schools, parks, roads, etc.”
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